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Avon and Somerset Police want to reunite stolen bikes with owners

Open day at Burnham Police Station this Saturday displays bikes recovered in raid

Avon and Somerset Police are seeking to reunite 10 stolen bikes with their owners. The bicycles are among 15 that the police found after raiding a premises in Burnham-on-Sea during December, five of which have already been claimed by their rightful owners.

Police will be holding an open day at Burnham Police Station this Saturday from 4pm to 6pm, when anyone who has had a bike stolen in the area is invited to come along to see if theirs is one of the bicycles that have been recovered.

People attending are asked to bring along photo ID such as a driving licence or passport, as well as proof of ownership, if possible, for example a receipt, the frame number, or a photo of the bike.

Even without those details, all may not be lost. According to PCSO Gill Bawler, "if a member of the public has had their bike stolen and wishes to attend the Open Day but they don't have registration documents, they should still come if they are able to describe the bike correctly especially any distinguishing features such as specific scratches or damage, stickers or modifications."



She added, "we are really keen to reunite as many bikes with their owners as possible. I would also like to take the opportunity to encourage people, especially if you have had a new bike for Christmas, to register it on www.immobilise.com or get your property marked. If you get your bicycle security marked it dramatically increases the chances of it being returned should it be lost or stolen."



Police say that people who get their bicycle security marked by the end of this month will be entered into a competition, with the winner getting £150 worth of bicycle accessories, and further information is available on the force’s website.

Details regarding property marking, crime prevention and home security are available from Safer Stronger Neighbourhood teams, who can be contacted on 0845 456 7000 or by visiting the Avon & Somerset Police website and clicking on the Crime Prevention heading.

The force is building something of a reputation in tackling bike crime. Last year, we reported how it helped a cyclist in London recover his bicycle after it was advertised for sale on eBay, as well as a clampdown on bike theft in Bristol that saw plain-clothes officers deployed on the city’s streets.

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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5 comments

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Jon Burrage | 14 years ago
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if you are in bristol its probably a better plan to look on the polices bumblebee auction site...they sell off recovered bikes there, wonder how hard they work to try and find the owners first.

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jezzzer | 14 years ago
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10 bikes? statistically it's pretty unlikely that they're mine either ... not sure it's worth going all that way to find out. ho hum.

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Jon Burrage | 14 years ago
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Worth a try! In reality I think my bikes are probably at the bottom of the floating harbour by now but so many get nicked that they must find some. An open day would be nice.

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Tony Farrelly | 14 years ago
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Good point Jon, maybe we should ask them

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Jon Burrage | 14 years ago
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When will Bristol police do this? I doubt my bianchi via nirone or my sunn mountain bike ended up in Burnham.

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